Counting mechanism.



J. FROEHLICH.

GOUNTING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY l0, 1912.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOQRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

' J. FROEHLICH.

GOUNTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1o, 1912.

Patented oet. 29, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

[n ven for: Joseph Hoek-lich one,

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TTTID STATES PATENT TTFFTQF.

JOSEPH FROEHLICH, or New YORK, N. Y., AssrGNoR To FERDINAND L. SCHMIDT, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

COUNTING MECHANISIVI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10, 1912.

Patented Oct. @9, 1912.

Serial No. 708,538.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that T, JOSEPH FROEHLICH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in t-he county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to counting mech" anism and particularly to mechanism of that class which is adapt-ed for counting envelops and the like.

The object of my improvements is to provide means of the class specified, simple in construction, accurate in operation and having' small liability to derangement under continued and rapid operation.

My improvements are illustrated in their preferred embodiment in the drawings accompanying this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is an end elevation looking` in the direction of arrow A, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a front elevation partly in section looking in the direction of arrow B, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail end sectional elevation of a part of what is shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail end elevations showing different positions of the parts in the operation of my improvements. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail end elevations to a larger scale than the other figures and showing steps in thev operation of the parts therein illust-rated.

A counting box comprising a base or floor Q and an overhanging arm 3 is provided with a pusher 4 fixed to shaft 5. Said shaft is rotatably supported in box 6 depending from base 2. Said pusher 4 is provided with a downwardly reaching arm 43 by which it may be oscillated from the position of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 4 and back again. Base 2 is provided with the usual detents 7, 8 pivotally mounted as at 9 and spring urged to present their points as 7a in the path of the lower edge of the envelop as it is delivered past those points by pusher 4.

In lieu of the usual upper detents similar to detents 7, 8 provide shaft 10 rotatively mounted 'in suit-able bearings in overhanging arm 3. To said shaft are fixed one or more members as 11 for rotation with said shaft. Said members are provided with a plurality of radial arms 12 for engagement with the passing envelops as delivered by pusher 4. Said pusher is provided with notches as 13 in its upper edge corresponding in position with the path of said radial arms 12, see Fig. 2, so that said pusher will pass said arm without moving them unless an envelop is interposed between said pusher and arm.

l/Vithin housing 14 upstanding from base 2 and which housing acts as a support for arm 3, are mounted a number of parts which I will now proceed to describe.

Shaft 10 projects through the vertical wall of housing 14 and o-n the inner end of said shaft" within that housing, is fixed ratchet 15. Said ratchet is provided with two engaging pawls pivotally mounted on the wall of said housing. Pawl 16 is a spring urged detent pawl to counteract any tendency of ratchet 15 to rebound or turn in anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 1, 3, 6 and 7. Pawl 17 is a stop pawl for limiting the incremental movement of said ratchet. Pawl 17 is pivotallyL mounted in housing 14 diametrically opposite said pawl 16, relatively to ratchet 15. Preferably pawl 17 is mounted for limited movement in the direction of movement of the engaging tooth of said ratchet. As illustrated this is accomplished by means of elongated hole 18 in the hub of said pawl, whereby said pawl is permitted limited longitudinal movement relatively to stud 19 on which it is mounted. Pawl 17 is provided with outstanding pin 2O for disengaging said pawl from engagement with ratchet 17 by megns to be hereinafter described.

Disk 21 is rotatively mounted on stud 22 fixed Vin housing 14. Said disk is provided with gear 23 fixed thereto for engagement with gear 24 fixed to shaft 10. Disk 21 is provided with a peripheral slot 25 for engagement once in each revolution with horn Q6 of oscillating varm 27. Said arm 27 is urged to its idle position of Fig. 4 by spring 35.

Rotary member 11, as illustrated., is provided with five arms 12 and ratchet 15 with five teeth. The rat-io of gears 28 and 24 is such that disk 21 will be moved through one complete rotation b v the completion of twenty-five incremental rotative movements of rotative member 11. That is to say, the passage of twenty-five envelops in operative engagement with successive blades 12 of member 11 will cause one complete rotation of disk 21. The completion of the passage of each twentyefve envelops is indi-l lul-l cated by the abnormal movement of arm 27 and the entrance of horn 26 thereof into slot 25 of disk 21. This visual indication may be supplemented if desired by some well known aural indication such for instance as the striking of a bell through the instrumentality of the abnormal stroke of said arm 27. Or said abnormal stroke may be employed to offset endwise each twenty-fifth envelop as it is delivered into the counting box all as well known in the art. These features have not been illustrated herein as they are well known and form no part of the present improvements.

Arm 27 is caused to oscillate once for each oscillation of pusher 4 by the following means: Fixed to pusher shaft 5 in the same general vertical plane as disk 21 is bifurcated arm 2S in which lever 29 is pivotally mounted at 30. Said arm is urged against stop face 31 in arm 28 by spring 32. Lower member 33 of arm 27 is engaged by upper end 34 of said arm 29 so that as arm 28 swings in clockwise direction, Fig. 1, upper end 34 of lever 29 will push lower member 33 of arm 27 in anti-clockwise direction, thereby forcing horn 26 against the periphery of disk 21. As the stroke of arm 2S is greater than is needed to cause lever 29 to move arm 27 from the position of Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 1 said lever 29 is caused to swing on its pivot 30, thereby compressing spring 32 as shown in Fig. 1. Spring 35, for returning arm 27 to its idle position, is relatively much weaker than spring 32 for urging arm 29 to its work.

When disk 21 has been rotated by the passage of successive envelops in engagement with radial arms 12, sufficiently to bring slot 25 in position for the entrance of horn 26 the movement of arm 27 will be abnormally lengthened to deliver said horn 26 into said slot, Fig. 5, lever 29 traversing its maximum stroke by means of the preponderance of spring 32 over spring 35.

For disengaging pawl 17 from ratchet 15 after each incremental movement of that ratchet by the engagement of an envelop with a radial arm 12 of rotatable member 11 I provide arm 36 pivotally mounted at 39 on arm 27 between its pivot 37 and horn 26. Said arm 36 is provided with a stop 40for engagement with arm 27 and is held normally against that stop by spring 41. Said arm 36 therefore oscillates toward and away from pin 2O of pawl 17 in unison with the oscillation of arm 27 and at each oscillation of said arm 27 the upper end of said arm 36 engages pin 20, thereby lifting said pawl 17 out of engagement with ratchet .15 and permitting that pawl to drop downwardly from the position of Fig. 6 in engagement with a tooth of ratchet 15 to that of Fig. 7 with the point of said pawl resting on thel end of a ratchet tooth, whereby the ratchet is free to rotate in clockwise direction one tooth-space. ll7hile it is not necessary that pawl 17 have endwise movement on pin 19 to properly perform its function relatively to that ratchet such endwise movement is nevertheless preferable.

To prevent an abnormal stroke of arm 36 in engagement with pin 2() at the time of t-he abnormal stroke of arm 27 l provide pin 42 in stud 22 as a stop for said arm. Thus upon t-he abnormal stroke of arm 27 arm 36 engages pin 42 and swings upon its pivot 39 in arm 27 and arm 36 moves upwardly in sliding engagement with pin 20 without increasing the stroke of that pin or of arm 17, Fig. 5.

ln view of the foregoing description the operation of my improved device will be easily understood. Suffice it to add that when the mechanism is operated with considerable rapidity and during the passage of the envelop E from the dotted position of Fig. 3 to the full lined position of that ligure the downwardly projecting arm 12 of member 11 on shaft 10 will be moved rapidly to the left, causing shaft 10 to revolve one fifth of a revolution, or until ratchet 15 is engaged by pawl 17, and that pawl lifted to the position of Fig. 6. At this time detent pawl 16 will be forced inwardly by its spring, to behind a tooth of said ratchet, thereby preventing that ratchet from rebounding in anti-clockwise direction, out of adjustment. Also any tendency of pusher 4 to cause the envelop delivered beyond radial arm 12 to return with that pusher to its idle position of Fig. 1 will be prevented by the then depending blade 12 which will be held against backward or anti-clockwise movement by detent pawl 16.

I claim:

1. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with said arms respectively, stop means for the rotatable member and means operatively connected with the means for moving the envelops forliberating said stop means.

2. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said rotatable member, a stop pawl for engagement with said ratchet, and means operatively connected with the means for moving the envelops for disengaging said stop pawl.

3. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a r0- tatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said rotatable member, said ratchet having teeth equal in number to the number of the radial arms of the rotatable member, a stop paivl for engagement With said ratchet, said paWl being mounted for limited movement in the direction of movement of the engaging tooth of said ratchet, a detent pavvl for engagement with said ratchet, and means operatively connected With the means for moving the envelops for disengaging said stop pawl.

t. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said rotatable member, a stop paivl for engagement with said ratchet, means operatively connected with the means for moving the envelops for disengaging said stop paivl, and means governed by the completion of a predetermined number of incremental rotative movements of said rotatable member for indicating said completion.

5. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said rotatable member, said ratchet having teeth equal in number to the number of the radial arms of the rotatable member, a stop paivl for engagement With said ratchet, said stop paivl being mounted for limited movement in the direction of movement of the engaging tooth of said ratchet, means operatively connected With the means for moving the envelops for disengaging said stop paWl, and means governed by the completion of a predetermined number of incremental rotative movements of said rotatable member for indicating said completion.

G. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said rotatable member, a stop pavvl for engagement With said ratchet, a disk, pro vided With a slot, pivotally mounted adjacent to said rotatable member, means for transmitting rotary movement from said rotatable member to said disk, an oscillatable arm for engagement with said disk or with the slot therein, means for oscillating said arm from the envelop moving means, and means actuated by said oscillatable arm for disengaging said stop pavvl, the movement of said arm being normally limited by its engagement With said disk and its movement being abnormally lengthened by its engagement with the slot in said disk.

7. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said rotatable member, a stop pavvl for engagement with said ratcheta disk provided with a slot, pivotally mount-ed adjacent to said rotatable member, means for transmitting rotary movement from said rotatable member to said disk, an oscillat-able arm for engagement With said disk or With the slot therein, means for oscillating said arm from the envelop moving means, and means actuated by said oscillatable arm for disengaging said stop pawl irrespective of the stroke of said oscillatable arm, the movement of said arm being normally limited by its engagement With said disk and its movement being abnormally lengthened by its engagement With the slot in said disk.

8. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a shaft rotatably mounted adjacent to the path of the envelops, a plurality of radial arms on said shaft for engagement by the envelops, a pivotally mounted pusher for moving the envelops successively int-o engagement With said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said shaft and having teeth equal in number to the number of the radial arms, a pivotally mounted stop pawl for engagement With said ratchet, means operatively connected with the means for moving the envelops for disengaging said stop pavvl, a disk, provided with a slot, pivotally mounted adjacent t0 said shaft, means for transmitting rotary movement from said shaft to said disk, an oscillatable arm for engagement With said disk or with the slot therein, means for oscillating said arm from said pusher and means actuated by said oscillatable arm for disengaging said stop pavvl.

9. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelops respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement with Said arms respectively, a ratchettiXed to said rotatable member, said ratchet having teeth equal in number to the number of the radial arms of the rotatable member, a pivotally mounted stop paWl for engagement With said ratchet, said stop pavvl being mounted for limited longitudinal movement relatively to its pivotal mounting, and means operated by said oscillatable arm for disengaging said stop paivl.

10. A counting mechanism for envelops and the like including in combination, a rotatable member having a plurality of radial arms adapted for incremental rotation by successive engagement of said arms by passing envelope respectively, means for moving envelops successively into engagement With said arms respectively, a ratchet fixed to said rotatable member, said ratchet having teeth equal in number to the number of the radial 'arms of the rotatable member, a stop pavvl for engagement With said ratchet, a disk, provided With a slot, pivotally mounted adjacent to said rotatable member, means for transmitting rotary movement from said rotatable member to said disk, an oscillatable arm for engagement with said disk or With the slot therein, means for oscillating said arm from the envelop moving means, and means operated by said oscillatable arm for disengaging said stop paivl irrespective of the stroke of said oscillatable arm, the movement of said arm being normally limited by its engagement With said disk and its movement being abnormally lengthened by its engagement With the slot in said disk. Signed at New York, N. Y., this 8th day of July, 1912, before tvvo subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH FROEHLICH.

Vitnesses EDNA Moss, ELIZABETH SCHMIDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, ny addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

